Litter collector

ABSTRACT

A litter collector, or the like, including, in combination: a foldable receptacle bag having an open end and a closed end adapted to be placed between a pair of open operating jaws with the open end being folded and draped around the outside of the jaws forming a second opening between the open end of the bag and the closed end of the bag through which the refuse or litter is collected by closing the jaws; the bag having a closure at the open end for alternately fixing the bag to the jaws, or closing the bag when removed from the jaws.

United States Paten Veech Oct. 14, 1975 [54] LITTER COLLECTOR 3,767,24710/1973 Wetzler 294/1 R 3 7 78 l 974 P 2 [76] Inventor: Robert D. Veech,ll Yates Ave., n ezzmo 94/19 R X Commack, NY. 11725 Przmary Exammer-EvonC. Blunk Flledi P 13, 1973 Assistant ExaminerJohnny D. Cherry [2]] APPLNo: 396,684 Attorney, Agerit, or Firm-Edward Halle, Esq.

521 us. 01. 294/19 R; 294/1 R 1 ABSTRACT [l] Int. Cl. A47F 13/06 Alitter collector, or the like, including in Combina Fleld of Search 294/l R, 19 16, 506, tion: a foldablereceptacle bag having an open end and55, no 115, 118; a closed end adapted to be placed between a pair of15/1043 257-1; 119/1 R open operating jaws with the open end beingfolded and draped around the outside of the jaws forming a [56]References C'ted second opening between the open end of the bag andUNITED STATES PATENTS the closed end of the bag through which the refuseor 718,079 1/1903 Bindhammer 294/ A litter is Collected y closing the jthe g having 1,523,517 1/1925 Doty 294/110 A losure a the open end foralternately fixing the bag 2,320,967 6/1943 Dunkelberger 1 294/100 tothe jaws, or closing the bag when removed from the 3,093,402 6/l963Sisson 294/19 R jaws 3,446,525 5/1969 Jones 294/19 R 3,703,158 11/1972Lemler 294/19 R X 11 Claims, 16 Drawing Figures Sheet 1 of3 3,912,316

US. Patent Oct. 14, 1975 US. Patent Oct. 14, 1975 Sheet20f3 3,912,316

U.S. Patent Oct. 14, 1975 Sheet 3 013 3,912,316

LITTER COLLECTOR BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present inventionrelates to trash cleaning devices and in particular for picking up dog,or other, litter. The handling of refuse and litter created by pets inmetropolitan areas and especially on city streets is becoming more andmore serious. Many different types of litter disposal devices have beenmade in the past, some of which were adapted to pick up animal litterand others not so well adapted.

Three of such devices are illustrated in prior United States patents.For example, US. Pat. No. 3,052,214, granted on Sept. 4, 1962, shows acontainer means which can be used for picking up animal leavings incooperation with a bag to be used with the device and to be disposed of.

US. Pat. No. 3,281,176 issued on Oct. 25, 1966, and US. Pat. No.3,659,891 issued on May 2, 1972, show similar devices each having adisposable bag for use as an animal leavings collector.

US. Pat. No. 3,052,214 has some mechanical movements connected with thecollection. The latter two mentioned patents do not have moving parts.None of the three mentioned patents shows a device for use with a simplebag in which the bag is opened and closed by the device by an operatoroperating the device with a one-handed operation leaving the other handfree for controlling the dog or other animal.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a littercollector which works in combination with a receptacle bag and which hasmeans to open and close the bag available to the operator to work theentire combination as a scoop means with the bag being a part of thescoop so that the bag when retaining scoop litter can be closed, removedand disposed of with the contents being kept completely within theclosed condition of the bag, thereby minimizing undesirable contactbetween the operator and the litter. It is a further object of thisinvention to provide such a device for onehanded operation so that theoperator can operate the device with one hand and control the dog orother animal with the other hand.

It is another object of this invention to provide such a device whichcan be used for more than one pickup operation with a single bag. It isanother object of this invention to provide such a device with a baghaving a closure means so that it may be disposed of in a sanitarymanner. Other objects and advantages will appear in the descriptionhereinbelow and in the claims hereinbelow.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view with parts cutaway and parts in phantom;

FIG. 2 is a detail including jaw 40 and handle 28 as seen from line 2 inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along lines 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the bag or container of the device withparts cut away;

FIGS. 5 through 14 are all views in elevation showing the device invarious operating positions with a portion of handle extension 58 cutaway; and

FIGS. 15 and 16 are both elevational views of an altemate form of theinvention in different operating positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The dog litter collector 20 of theinvention has a main frame 22 comprising an operating portion 24 havingpivot means 26 connecting a pair of handle means 28 and 30. Resilientmeans, such as a coil spring 32, is wound around the pivot 26 havingspring arms 34 and 36 bearing against portions of handles 28 and 30 tonormally keep the jaws 40 and 42 in closed position. Jaws 40 and 42,including scooper edge means such as edges 44 and 46, respectively, areformed integrally, or may be attached to handles 28 and 30,respectively, by welding, molding, or any other fastening means. (SeeFIGS. 15 and 16 in which the scooper edge means are in the form ofseparate blades and 121.)

Jaw 42 includes a latch seat 50 which serves as a pivot means for alatch 52 having a latch end 51 to move end 54 from a first, ordisengaged, position (see dotted lines 52in FIG. 1) to a second, orengaged, position (see solid lines 52 in FIG. 1) with latch end 54against opposite jaw 40. The spring 32 and its arms 34 and 36 serve as ameans to urge and hold the jaws 40 and 42 in normally closed position(with spring arm 34 pressing handle 28 outwardly at point 35) while thelatch 52 serves as means to releasably hold the jaws 40 and 42 in openposition. It is preferred to mount the latch as shown in FIG. 1 withlatch end 54 at a strike portion 56 inside jaw 40 as in the second orengaged position when it is desired to hold jaws 40 and 42 apart againstthe force of spring 32.

A handle extension 58 may be provided for connecting to handle 30 bymeans of any other fastening means known to the art. The handleextension 58 in the preferred form of invention is fitted to handle 30at area 60. The handle extension 58 may also be a sleeve that fitshandle 30, or any other type of extension, or may be integral withhandle 30.

A hand grip 62 may also be provided. Any type of grip known to the artsuch as the umbrella or chain grip shown may be used. The gripillustrated is preferred. The extension handle 58 may be painted whiteor have a fluorescent coating, or device, as indicated by dotted linesat reference numeral 64. This is for safety in case the device is usedat night and on a dark street the headlights of an approachingautomobile will reflect off the handle extension 58 and warn the driverthat someone may be in the road. The extension 58 may be of telescopingor separable sectional design as desired.

The latch 52 may be set with only one hand in the following manner:

The extension handle 58 is held horizontally with handle 30 above it, asfor example if one views FIG. 10 upside down turn). Handle 28 issqueezed to handle 30. By force of gravity the latch 52 will assume avertical position. Handle 28 is then gently released and the latch willremain in second, or engaged position, resulting from the describedone-handed operation.

During the pickup and jaw closing operations, the device is held by onehand at the handle 62 and the latch 52 is foot operated, leaving theother hand free.

The latch 52 construction provides for foot operation of the device aswill be described below, because it has foot operating portions 66 whichextend, preferably laterally, beyond the handles 28 and 30 so that theymay be engaged by the foot (or by the hand) of the operator to move thelatch 52 from one position to another.

The receptacle 70 of the litter collector is made preferably in the formof a bag 72 having an opening 76 with a fastening and closure means suchas drawstring 78. The material of the bag 72 is optional, but it shouldbe foldable or deformable. The preferred material is one such aspolyethylene, and may be fashioned in the form of a sleeve which can becut into desired lengths. Each cut length may be heat sealed at an end73 to form the closed end, or bottom, 74 of the bag 72. The other end 75is left open to provide an opening 76. The opening 76 is provided withthe drawstring 78 which may be of any type of cotton string or twine orany other suitable material. The drawstring 78 is held in position aboutthe opening 76 by means of one or more heat sealed folds 80 in thematerial of the bag 72 or by any other means.

The drawstring 78 serves the purpose of being a closure for the bag 72and is also used, in the manner described below, as a fastening means tohold the bag 72 about the jaws 40 and 42 during the operation of thedevice. Any other type of bag or closure therefore may be utilized withthe invention so long as the material of the bag or receptacle can befolded or draped over the jaws in the manner described herein.

A hook 82 is provided either on handle extension 58 or any other part ofthe main frame of the device to fasten end 84 of the drawstring closure78 when the bag 72 is applied and folded over the jaws 40 and 42, asshown in FIG. 6 of the drawings.

METHOD OF OPERATION Reference is now made to FIG. 5 of the drawings.FIG. 5 shows the device in a position with the jaws 40 and 42 heldupwardly and a bag 72 placed and held firmly between the edges 44 and 46of jaws 40 and 42 with the opening 76 on top and the closed end orbottom 74 of the bag 72 at the bottom. This step is accomplished byopening the jaws 40 and 42, then placing the bag 72 between them andthen permitting the spring 32 to close and hold the bag 72 betweenbetween the edges 44 and 46. The jaws 40 and 42 are opened by pressinghandle 28 toward handle against the action of spring 32. When handle28is released the spring will close the jaws and 42 to hold the bag 72between them.

In FIG. 6 of the drawings the next step is illustrated. The opening 76of the bag 72 is pulled down over the jaws 40 and 42 and folded ordraped around the outside of the jaws. The drawstring 78 is pulled tightand its end 84 is attached to hook 82, thus completing the operation ofattaching and fastening the receptacle or bag 72 to the jaws 40 and 42of the device.

With the apparatus in this position a second opening 86 will be providedwhen the jaws 40 and 42 are next separated, as shown in FIG. 7 of thedrawings. This second, intermediate, opening 86 will appear when the bag72 is folded back, or cuffed 100 upon itself, as shown in FIG. 7 of thedrawings. In order to maintain the second opening 86 and the jaws 40 and42 in open position the latch 52 is set, as shown in FIG. 7, in itssecond or engaged position.

The device is now ready for picking up litter. Reference to FIG. 8 ofthe drawings will show animal refuse or litter 88 on a street 90. Thedevice has been inverted so that the jaws 40 and 42 and the secondopening 86 of the bag 72 are now pointing downward. Opening 86 has beenplaced over the litter 88 with the scooper edges 44 and 46 and bagopening 86 against the street 90.

Reference to FIG. 9 shows what happens after the latch 52 has beenkicked at comer 66 (see FIG. 3) by the foot 53 of the operator from itssecond, or engaged position, back to its first, or disengaged position.The latch 52 has laterally extending corners 66 which extend beyond themain frame sufficiently to permit the foot 53 of the operator to kick orpush a corner 66, and end 54, of the latch 52 away from its latch strikeposition 56, then the spring 32 action forces the jaws 40 and 42, aswell as the scoop edges 44 and 46, to come together placing the litter88 within the temporarily formed inner bag 92, as shown in FIG. 9. Thusit appears that the combination of the cuffed bag over the jaws of themain frame acts as a scoop when the scoop edge means guide and forceopening 86 of the bag around the litter 88 to scoop up the litter. Thebag thereby actually becomes a working part of the scooping device andis nevertheless removable at will when loaded.

The device is now loaded and has cleared the street of the dog litter88. The bag can be removed at this point and discarded together with thelitter 88 (see FIG. 14 and description below). However, the device maybe used again before unloading the bag 72, if desired. Reference to FIG.10 shows that the dog litter collector 20 has been tilted approximately90 so that the inner bag 92 will fall in the space 41 (see FIG. 2)between the arms 39 of jaw 42.

In FIG. 11 when the device 20 is again held vertical, the mentionedinner bag 92 together with the first collected litter portion 88 willrest against the pavement 90 with the collected litter 88 to a side ofthe jaws 40 and 42. In FIG. 12 the scooper edges 44 and 46 are againseparated in the manner set forth hereinabove, by hand, against theaction of spring 32. The latch 52 is again hand set to maintain the jaws40 and 42 in open position. Thus the second collection of litter 96 maybe done while the first collection of litter 88 sits at one side of theinner bag 92. The jaws 40 and 42 are again closed by operation of thelatch 52 by the operators foot 53 and the jaws 40 and 42 again close,causing the scoop blades 44 and 46 to place the second load 96 withinthe inner bag 92, as shown in FIG. 13.

In FIG. 14 the device has been turned around again so that the bag 72 isuppermost. The drawstring is untied and the cuffed portion 100 of thebig is lifted over the jaws. The drawstring is then closed, as shown inFIG. 14, the bag is then removed and dropped into a trash or litterbasket.

In FIG. 15 an alternate form of handle and operating mechanism is shown.It comprises an elongated handle means 1 10 which is hollow. Within thehollow is an operating rod 112 connected at its top end to an operatingbutton 114 and at its lower end to a pair of spring arms 116 and 118. Atthe lower ends of the spring arms are scoop edges 120 and 121. Theblades 120 and 121 and the spring arms 116 and 118 work in the same wayas scoop edges 44 and 46 and jaws 40 and 42 of the first form of theinvention.

Helical spring 122 is mounted around the operating rod 1 l2 and isseated between the operating button 1 14 and a guard 124. The. operationof this form of the invention is as follows:

The spring 122 pushes the button 114 away from the guard 124. This keepsspring arms 116 and 118 within the confines of the lower tubular portion130 of the handle 110. When the spring arms are within the confines ofthe tube 130 the blades 120 and 121 are together as shown in FIG. 15.Finger pressure against the button 1 14 to move it toward the guard 124pushes rod 112 downwardly and pushes spring arms 116 and 118 out of theconfines of the tube at portion 130. The spring action of the armsspreads outwardly seprating the blades I20 and 121, as shown in FIG. 16.Thus the blades 120 and 121 are controllable from a closed jaw positionas shown in FIG. 15 to an open jaw position as shown in FIG. 16.Downward pressure on button 114 will maintain the jaws in open position.A catch 132 in the form of a hook or some other device is provided tohook the operating button 114 to the guard and maintain the jaws in openposition and the action of catch 132 is similar to the action of latch52. Thus it can be seen that the handle of the alternate form of theinvention will work with the invention in the same manner as the handlemeans of the preferred form illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 14 of thedrawings, and the invention is worked in exactly the same way with itsalternate handle.

It can be seen from the foregoing description that a sanitary method ofpicking up dog or animal refuse or litter has been provided with severaldefinite advantages. First, it has a positive action for cleaning andlifting the matter. Second, it is operable with one hand so that theother hand of the operator can hold the dog firmly on the leash. Third,no bending or stooping. Fourth, multiple pickups with one bag arepossible.

While the device has been described in its preferred forms, it may bemade in other forms coming within the scope of the claims hereinbelow.Protection is desired for all forms coming within the claimshereinbelow.

Wherefore, I claim:

1. A litter collector comprising a main frame, including a pair of jawscomprising means to hold the jaws normally in a closed position andmeans to releasably hold the jaws in open position: in combination witha receptacle comprising a main body portion of a deformable materialcomprising an opening; wherein the receptacle body portion is heldbetween said jaws with at least a portion of said receptacle bodyportion adjacent said opening being folded over the outside of at leastone jaw; said combination comprising means to selectively secure thereceptacle to the main frame and closure means for the receptacleopening; said receptacle comprising an opening being in the form of abag, or envelope having a closed end and an open end, with said open endfolded over said jaws by cuffing at least a portion of said open endover said jaws; thereby forming a second, intermediate openingpositioned between said cuffed portion of the bag and said closed end ofthe bag, at least when the jaws are in open position; said bag beingprovided with closure means for the first mentioned opening in said openend; in which the jaws comprise a pivot connection and the means to holdthe jaws in normally closed position comprises a spring, and the meansto releasably hold the jaws in open position comprises a latch pivotedto one of the jaws for movement from a first or open position to asecond or closed position.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which the means to hold thejaws in normally closed position comprises a spring.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 2, in which at least a portion ofsaid spring is curved around said pivot connection for said jaws.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which the means toreleasably hold the jaws in open position comprises a latch.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 4 which includes latch strikemeans.

6. The combination as claimed in claim 4, in which the latch comprises acorner means extending laterally away from the center of the main frame.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 which includes latch strikemeans and in which the latch is positioned between the jaws.

8. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which there is a latch seatin the other of said jaws.

9. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which at least one jaw isprovided with scooper edge means.

10. The combination as claimed in claim 9, in which the closure meanscomprises a drawstring for selective fastening to the main frame.

1 l. The combination as claimed in claim 10, in which each jaw isprovided with scooper edge means.

1. A litter collector comprising a main frame, including a pair of jawscomprising means to hold the jaws normally in a closed position andmeans to releasably hold the jaws in open position: in combination witha receptacle comprising a main body portion of a deformable materialcomprising an opening; wherein the receptacle body portion is heldbetween said jaws with at least a portion of said receptacle bodyportion adjacent said opening being folded over the outside of at leastone jaw; said combination comprising means to selectively secure thereceptacle to the main frame and closure means for the receptacleopening; said receptacle comprising an opening being in the form of abag, or envelope having a closed end and an open end, with said open endfolded over said jaws by cuffing at least a portion of said open endover said jaws; thereby forming a second, intermediate openingpositioned between said cuffed portion of the bag and said closed end ofthe bag, at least when the jaws are in open position; said bag beingprovided with closure means for the first mentioned opening in said openend; in which the jaws comprise a pivot connection and the means to holdthe jaws in normally closed position comprises a spring, and the meansto releasably hold the jaws in open position comprises a latch pivotedto one of the jaws for movement from a first or open position to asecond or closed position.
 2. The combination as claimed in claim 1, inwhich the means to hold the jaws in normally closed position comprises aspring.
 3. The combination as claimed in claim 2, in which at least aportion of said spring is curved around said pivot connection for saidjaws.
 4. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in which the means toreleasably hold the jaws in open position comprises a latch.
 5. Thecombination as claimed in claim 4 which includes latch strike means. 6.The combination as claimed in claim 4, in which the latch comprises acorner means extending laterally away from the center of the main frame.7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 which includes latch strikemeans and in which the latch is positioned between the jaws.
 8. Thecombination as claimed in claim 1, in which there is a latch seat in theother of said jaws.
 9. The combination as claimed in claim 1, in whichat least one jaw is provided with scooper edge means.
 10. Thecombination as claimed in claim 9, in which the closure means comprisesa drawstring for selective fastening to the main frame.
 11. Thecombination as claimed in claim 10, in which each jaw is provided withscooper edge means.